JUXTAPOSITION (A Bolt DramaRomanceAdventure Fanfiction)
by Carl Minez
Summary: Bolt gets lost! Separated from Mittens and Rhino, he teams up with Benji, an ambivalent black Labrador that harbors secret feelings he fears will be revealed. Armed with nothing but a fast-food map, the canine duo must cross rivers and outrun trains and fight their way to California. But what will Mittens and Rhino think about Bolt's new friend? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1 - Sounds of Silence

_**- JUXTAPOSITION Chapter 1 - "Sounds of Silence"**_

**Authors note:**

_After four years of obsessing over Bolt, I finally got around to posting my own fanfic! This is the very first chapter, and future ones are likely to be longer. So my idea is for this to be a plot-driven romance/drama thingy series that update with new bit-size chapters quite frequently. We'll see how that goes._

This is my first time writing anything so feedback is greatly appreciated!

* * *

Bolt walked around an exact number of three times, not because the grass wasn't already flat enough but because it was something he always did. He let out a yawn before letting his exhausted body fall the ground. Rolling over on his back, he looked into the dark night sky. Wiggling and twisting in the grass, the white shepherd tried to make himself comfortable, which was difficult with all the tufts and bumps pressing against his back. _Ugh. _He liked the grass in Ohio better. It was softer. But the stars ... the stars were just _amazing_. He had tried to count them nights before, but he would always fall asleep before ever finishing. It wasn't like he hadn't seen stars before, but now they seemed brighter and closer than ever.

Since he had embarked on his journey back to Penny, he had been stripped of everything he thought he knew about himself and the world, and as the three animals had followed the trail of waffles through strange new places, Bolt often felt like all the new experiences were simply too much for his brain to process. Sometimes, strange drops of water would fall from the sky and make his fur wet and cool, and sometimes flashes of light would discharge from dark clouds. It was both frightening and fascinating, but the black tuxedo cat who had accompanied him on his journey was always there to explain new things to him. Like how you beg for food or hitch a ride without being spotted and why you should avoid yellow snow.

The area around their sleeping spot was a large field with flat, matted grass that seemed almost bluish in the silvery light from the moon. There was also a forest that crept along the side of the field. The only forest Bolt had ever seen before was the one he and his person had explored in search for The Greened-Eyed Man's secret missile silo, but that one wasn't anywhere near as big. Beyond it was a complex of buildings Mittens called "train station". Come sunrise, that would be their destination.

Lying next to Mittens was the "top-secret" map which the three animals used for guidance. It detailed, with great precision, the distance between the cartoon waffles in units none of the animals could understand. Hence, knowing in which direction to go, and indeed how long, was anything but easy. However, Mittens seemed fairly sure where to go. Bolt just hoped that every step of their journey brought him closer to Penny.

After a few minutes of counting stars, Bolt figured that he probably wasn't going to get much sleep anyway. He got to his feed, padding silently past first the cat and then the hamster, the last of which snored loudly. Bolt frowned his nose, wondering how something so small could generate so much noise.

He didn't know whether it was the soft grass against his light paws, or perhaps the cool night air caressing his fur, but as he trotted over the field he suddenly felt his heart rise in a surge of inexplicable carefreeness. He spotted a pile of dirt which he vigorously attacked and before he could think of stopping himself, he was digging fanatically, rejoiced to feel the cool sensation of black earth under his strong paws. Snapping back to reality, he looked over his shoulder, ears cupped, almost feeling a bit embarrassed with his behavior. _But what harm could come with just letting himself be a dog now and then?_ Checking that neither the cat nor the hamster was around to see him, he indulged in his canine nature once more, digging until nothing was left of the dirt pile other than some scattered grains of sand.

Suddenly he stopped, his sensitive nose having picked up a strange scent. He looked up fast enough to see a shadow disappear behind some bushes near a grove of elks.

_What on earth was that? _

Body lowered and ears, vigilantly erect over his head, Bolt stalked through a bush of wet ferns until he reached the trees. There was no sign of the mysterious figure he had just seen. Suddenly, his sensitive ears picked up rustling noise in some bushes behind him.

For the first time since the days of his former superdog life, Bolt felt the familiar icy claws of fear grip his stomach. His body froze. His eyes widened. He didn't dare breathing. For a few seconds, he just stood there; perfectly still, wondering when the attack from behind would come.

No attack came.

He finally turned around, teeth frowned and ready to attack, but instead of the anticipated sight of armed henchmen and gloves with electrified claws, the frightened, white canine was met by nothing but the silent stillness of the empty forest.

_You are just imagining things, Bolty. There are no agents of the Green Eyed Man. There are no electro-claws or plasma rifles either. You know this..._

His breath calmed down but those icy claws still gripped his stomach, as if that empty forest frightened him even more than any frightful enemy would have. Of course, what really frightened him was himself, and his inability to separate the two.

He let out a deep sigh, almost as if the sight of the Green Eyed Man's agents would have been more welcoming than the idea of his delusions haunting him. But just as he was about to turn around and leave, he could suddenly smell it... the scent. The scent he had picked up only a moment ago. It was canine. It was right there.

"If there's anyone there, you better just come out right now!" Bolt tried to sound more confident than he was, but no reply came, save the echo of his own voice.

The intruder was gone but he felt as so he was still being watched. Deciding there was no point in sweeping the vicinity, the disconcerted canine turned around, heading back to the others.

When he reached their sleeping spot, he could already see the sun rising over the horizon. The dog sighed to himself. _Yet another sleepless night._


	2. Chapter 2 - Benji

_**Authors note:**_

_So here's chapter 2 and the official introduction of Benji! For those of you who haven't watched Bolt a dozen times, Benji is the black Labrador seen briefly playing with Bolt during the road-trip montage. I wanted an empty template to work so that so to speak, and this character which was never properly introduced, proved perfect._

_Thanks to JimmyRocket, fanficwriter-25, starfiction123, Person, and bolt fan 21 for reviewing! _

_PS: I'm also posting this story on FurAffinity and SoFurry, should that fit you better._

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- Chapter 2: BENJI –

A bleak sun was rising in the northeast, heavy fog lied over the surrounding forest, in the distance, a train whistle could he heard and in the forest, a confused black Labrador was hiding behind a bush.

_What on earth was a dog, a cat and a hamster in a plastic ball doing together? _The Labrador named Benji had seen many things in his young life, but the sight of this unlikely trio in the middle of nowhere was the strangest thing yet.

The white shepherd in particular had caught his attention. A few days ago, he had stumbled upon him at a playground. Benji had asked if he wanted to play, and he did, and before he knew it they were playing chase. He acted almost like a puppy, as if he was still learning how to play. Then suddenly, he had gotten all serious-like, wished him the best and shook his paw and left. _His paw._ As if he thought he was some kind of human! He hadn't even learnt his name.

Since then, Benji had been following the group of animals, observing the peculiar white dog at a distance. He wasn't normally the shy kind, but to his frustration he had never managed to build up enough courage to talk to him again.

The sunlight, filtered by the leaves of surrounding trees, fell in stripes over the white dog. From his hiding spot in the bushes, he could see him more clearly. He was definitely a shepherd of some kind, although he had never seen a white shepherd before. He was sleeping with his big head resting on a pair of neatly crossed paws. Behind his head followed a thick neck with double-coated fur, a slender yet slightly muscular body which ended with a long elegant tail. He was, as a matter of fact, quite handsome, the black Labrador admitted to himself. He could see his chest rise and fall with the tides of breath so he was definitely asleep, but Benji could smell stress and anxiety coming from the canine. But for once, none of the other two animals seemed to be around. _Maybe this is the time, Benji?_

Sighing deeply, Benji debated with himself whether he would actually do it. After having finally built up enough courage to leave his hiding-spot, he stood up to walked out of the bushes. He was just about to approach the sleeping dog when a quiet growl escaped from his muzzle.

_Damn! _Panicked grabbed him, and he quickly jumped back into the bushes.

The spontaneous growl was followed by a few miserable whines as the white dog's paws started to scrape the grass and his body tossed and turned in unease. Looking up from the bushes, the Labrador signed in relief when he realized that the dog was just dreaming. He looked closer at the dog's strained expression. It was an expression of total terror and despair. _Nightmares. _Before he had the chance to neither leave nor walk up to the dog again, a black cat appeared from the trees. There was a look of worry on her face.

_…_

"Wake up you stupid mutt!" Mittens placed two paws on Bolt's side, trying to stomp the sleeping dog awake but to no avail. When that didn't work, the desperate cat moved on to the dogs face, slapping his big black nose once with a declawed paw. That worked.

"Ouch!" Bolt flew up, looking to his left and right. "Where am I?! What are you doing?!" He was breathing frantically.

"State of Missouri. You had nightmares… again."

"Oh…" The shock in the dog's face was replaced by sadness as he calmed down and sat down on his haunches. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that." Head lowered and ears slouching, the looked at the ground.

"No no, don't do that. You got nothing to be sorry for." Mittens moved closer to the sad dog. She was about to put his head on his shoulder, but restrained herself, settling for a supportive paw on his back. "Same dream as always?"

He nodded. He was still shaking a bit, the feeling of dread and regret from the dream still present in the chest, but the paw on his furry back made him feel a bit better.

"Yes, same as always. She is captured before my eyes and I try to jump after her, but it's like my paws are locked to the ground. And then I just watch her disappear." His head and ears slouched even lower, the dog almost looked like he would sink through the ground.  
Mittens felt desperate, trying to think of something to say. She wasn't too good with all this emotional stuff. In her experience, bad feelings were best locked away somewhere deep inside and forgotten, but this dog didn't seem capable of that.

"Well, I'm not a shrink, but I'd say that fuzzy head of yours is trying to process some traumatic stuff. I know it's hard, but let's try to focus on something un-person-related. Like this stick!" Mittens picked up a wooden stick from the ground and waved it in front of the dog.

"Sorry Mittens, not in the mood".

"You don't look too well. We could rest a bit. Make sure you get some real sleep."

"No, we should keep going. Penny is just .."

"_A few waffles away._ I know. You've been saying that for a few miles now. It's getting monotonous".

Bolt rolled his eyes. His typical defense against the feline's sarcastic comments.

"Anyway, if you don't want to rest, why don't you wake up that encapsulated rodent so we can get moving?"

Bolt chuckled. "You two should try to get along. Kicking him into that river yesterday wasn't necessary."

"I swear, Bolt. I had no idea that cliff was there. _Besides_, he wouldn't stop talking..."

Bolt rolled his eyes again. But Mittens couldn't help but smile to herself; at least the dog seemed a bit happier.

"Oh and Mittens…" She looked up.

"Don't you think you can find a less painful way of waking me up? Bolt rubbed his nose with his paw.

"Just be happy I didn't use my claws." She trotted away. "I'll go check out the train station. It's the red house in the distance." She pointed. "You wake up the rodent and come meet me there."

- "Copy".

…

"What am I doing here, anyway", Benji thought to himself as he watched the cat and the dog leave in different directions. He should just go back already, rather than stalking a group of traveling animals like some weirdo. _But back to what?_ He didn't have a home anymore. It was with a great deal of effort he managed to break out of the dog pound and he had no intention of going back. Sure, the dog pound had food and shelter. But what was there for him? A few years in a cage and finally a lethal injection? No thanks.

Benji shook his head as if to rid himself of such thoughts. Families, dog pounds, lethal injections, it all belonged to the past. A past that didn't concern him anymore. It was best to think of the future, so he returned his gaze to the white dog who walked up to the snoring hamster, nudging the plastic ball to wake him up. _So Bolt was his name._ He had heard that name before, but he couldn't remember where. Whoever he was, Benji had a certain peculiar, irregular, unexplainable and highly unshakable feeling this strange dog was a solution to his situation.

The cat had already left, heading towards some train station on the other side of the field. The dog and the hamster was talking amongst themselves, looking at a piece of paper that lied between the dogs paws. He couldn't hear what they said or see exactly what it was they were looking at. Then they left in the same direction as the cat.

Benji looked after them from his hiding-spot. All he needed was an opportunity to introduce himself, that is, after confirming that the animals were friendly. _Perhaps they could help him._  
He followed the canine and the hamster through the bushes and shrubberies that followed alongside the field, effectively sick-sacking between hiding spots, making sure to observe them in head-wind this time. He wouldn't want the large canine to catch the scent of him again._ Last night was too close, way too close._

…

Bolt liked Rhino, but sometimes he wished that the hamster's plastic ball was soundproof. For the last hundred meters, the hamster had been babbling constantly, talking about his genetic heritage, how much they had in common, and of course, the _TV show. _Hearing Rhino speak about his adventures with Penny, such as his fight against a robotic Sphinx in the Egyptian desert or when he infiltrated that arctic hover-base, made his belly cringe. Stories that only serve to remind him about a period of his life he would rather just forget. The rain had left his mark of power almost completely smudged away and he liked it what way.

As if that wasn't enough, they were moving incredibly slowly, Rhino having to stop every second minute to catch his breath.

"Are you keeping up Rhino?" Bolt looked over his shoulder at the exhausted hamster. "Mittens is already by the station. She said he should hurry so we don't miss the transport unit."

"Why are you listening to what our hostage has to say anyway?" the hamster panted.

"Well for one thing, she is the only one of us who can read the top-secret map."

"I don't understand" The chubby hamster looked up at him. "Why don't you just use your super-telepathic senses to locate Penny?"

Bolt sighted. _Because I don't have any! _"Because the distance is too great."

"But when you rescued Penny from that underwater base, you could…"

"Rhino please. Let's just move on, alright". We're almost at the station." Rhino looked at him with a confused expression on his tiny face. Sometimes Bolt felt that it would be easier just to let the hamster know, but he had no idea how he would take it. Instead, he turned away from his fan's wondering expression and continued walking rapidly.

A few meters later, he noticed that the hamster was once again lagging behind. "Try to keep up Rhino. I don't wanna have to roll you along again..."

"I'm sorry" Rhino panted. "I'm not as super as you. I don't know how you keep in such a great shape".

"Well for starters, I don't eat twice my body weight every day." Bolt muttered.

He turned around and saw the impact his words had on Rhinos face. The little hamster looked pretty saddened by his hero's sharp remark, and Bolt felt a stab of conscious. _He doesn't know. You shouldn't let it all out on him. It's not like you. _

Deciding to make up for it, Bolt smiled and hunkered down. "Come here, buddy. I'll carry you". Rhino lit up before the big dog scoop up the plastic ball in his jaw and started walking on, carrying his friend with him.

…

From the shadows, a black Labrador watched the animals as they made their way across the field towards the train station in the distance. He followed them closely. The dog had just picked up the plastic ball in his mouth and it looked like an uncomfortable fit. He couldn't help but chuckle quietly to the sight, then immediately regretted as he saw the white shepherds pointy ears perk up, twitching and turning, scanning the area like big furry radar dishes.

_Oh shit oh shit oh shit_…

The black Labrador turned around and half-sneaked, half-ran back to the nearby trees. When he finally reached the protective shadow of the tall elks, he panted in relief. There was no white dog in sight.

Suddenly, a pair of big paws smashed into his side, taking the breath right out of him. The second his body fell to the ground, something big, heavy and white pinned him down and a paw pressed against his neck. The frightened Labrador looked up to see an array of perfect, sharp teeth followed by a pair of intent brown eyes, staring at him.

"I might not have superpowers, but I'm not gonna need any to make you regret you've been stalking us unless you explain yourself right now" a voice snarled.


	3. Chapter 3 - A Perfect Introduction

_**Authors note:**_

_Chapter 3! This is really the first chapter where we see the black and white dog interact with each other. Read on to find out how it goes! Needless to say, a lot of drama and complications are ahead. And some near deaths (although not reality to violence). _

_Thanks to Person, JimmyRocket and Bennikal-596 for reviwing! _

_PS: I'll make sure to update at least once a week from now on. _

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**- Chapter 3: A PERFECT INTRODUCTION -**

Benji wasn't sure how it had happened, but he suddenly found himself pressed into the ground with a paw on his ribcage and a row of sharp teeth uncomfortably close to his neck. _So much for the good introduction…_

"Who are you!?" the owner of the sharp teeth roared, making his entire body tremble in response. Benji desperately tried to think of something to say, but of some reason nothing came out.

"It's me" he finally hissed out.

"Who?" The white dog's face tilted just slightly in confusion.

"It's me! We met at that park a few days back. It's me, the dog you played with, remember?"' Suddenly all the words blurted out at the same time. "Get off me!"

Benji looked up at the white dog whose snarl, to his relief, was immediately replaced by a wide smile. "Oh it's you! I'm sorry." Bolt apologized as he jumped off the Labrador. "I hope I didn't hurt you." He stretched out a helping paw to Benji to help him up.

"It's okay. I'm probably not gonna need those ribs anyway." Benji muttered and looked up at the white dog. "What are you doing?" he asked, looking at Bolt's big white paw.

"I'm offering you a hand."

"Well you look silly, put it away". His fear had been replaced with irritation. All he wanted was to come out and say hi._ This dog was obviously crazy._

Bolt did as told, retracting his paw and looking a bit baffled. He sat down on his haunches and observed the strange black Labrador who got up on his paws and shook, sending leaves and twigs from his fur flying, before sitting down in front of him.

For a while, the two dogs were just sitting on their respective haunches, staring at each other while birds were singing in the tree tops around them, obvious to the tension of the scene played out below.

Bolt was the first one to break the silence. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked carefully, trying to look as unfrightening as possible. No reply came from the black Labradors direction.

After a few more minutes of silence, Bolt tried again. "So, if you're not a spy, why are you following us?"

"I'm not following you. I was just going to introduce myself, I didn't know I was going to get karate kicked to the ground for it!" Benji barked in response.

Bolt looked at the black Labrador who seemed pretty irritated. "Again, I'm sorry. For all it's worth, it's nice to see you again."

More silence. Around them, the forest stood quiet, save for the distant sound of a train approaching.

This time, Benji was the first one to break the silence. "What's your name? Cujo?"

"It's Bolt!" He smiled as warmly as he could while once again stretching out a polite paw in Benji's direction. "What's yours?"

Benji just glared at it. "There you go with the paws again. What's up with that?"

"I'm just making an introduction. This is how people greet each other, isn't it?" A confused expression grew on the white shepherd's face.

"Well, we're not people. We're dogs."

"I figured so much" Bolt chuckled. "I'm still trying to learn this whole dog language thing. I have to say I prefer shaking paws over having someone sniff my behind. Mittens has taught me most of what I know."

"So the cat you're with teaches you how to be a dog? The_ cat_? Were desperate or were you just trying to find the most ironic way possible to learn it?"

"I didn't get to meet many other dogs when growing up. It was pretty much just me and my person. I guess I never got the chance to learn it. I never got a chance to do a lot of things I would have liked."

The black Labrador looked judgingly at Bolt. "You're a peculiar fellow, aren't you?" he said after a while.

"I guess" Bolt said. He was getting a bit annoyed with this strange black dog. "Well, it's been nice meeting you whatever your name is. However, unless there is anything else about me you want to comment on, I really must be going. I have to get to the station before the transport unit leaves."

"Transport unit? You mean train, right? And isn't that the one down there?" Benji pointed in the direction of the train station from which a train was indeed leaving." Without as much as saying a word, the dog in front of him turned around and started running back towards the train station.

Benji looked after the white dog. _Peculiar fellow, indeed._


	4. Chapter 4 - Chasing Trains

_**Authors note:**_

_Chapter 4! A lot of drama going on in this one, and this was a difficult one to write for several reasons, so make sure to let me know how you think it turned out! _

_Thanks to JimmyRocket, Bennikal-596 for reviewing! _

_PS: I'll make sure to update at least once a week from now on. _

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**- Chapter 3: CHASING TRAINS -**

"Bolt shot over the field like a white, furry lightning bolt, sprinting as fast as his four legs could carry him. The cold air burned in his throat, his pawsteps echoing in his ears as his surroundings blurred and bled like a painting around him. Adrenaline coursed through him, and before his conscious mind could percieve his change of environment, the soft grass underneath his paws was replaced by cold, hard concrete as Bolt *found* himself on a train platform.

"Mittens!? Rhino!?"

Bolt called out, but there was no response. Around him, the small concrete platform that made out the station stood abandoned. There was no humans around. There were no cats or hamsters either. In the distance, Bolt could see the transport vehicle pulling away.

_I'm too late! _

The white dog set after the vehicle, which was picking up speed. Bolt ran and ran, he ran so fast that the tracks he followed blurred out before him, and all he could see was the backside of the vehicle pulling away. Whenever he managed to gain on it, the vehicle accelerated away. But Mittens and Rhino was onboard. He needed to reach it, somehow. _He should have never haft left. Why did he have to let that stupid Labrador distract him! _

His lungs were burning and his entire body ached for him to stop and breath. Instead, he pushed himself to run faster, and almost managed to reach the fast vehicle, with his nose so close to its backside he could smell rusty undercarriage of the machine. With the last strength his body could master, he jumped, attempting to board the vehicle by clinging on to a metal bar attached to the vehicles backside. His last experience with these speedy vehicles had been painful, but he had to get onboard. If he lost the others, his chances of finding Penny would be lost with them. With his front paws locked around the bar, he tried to lift himself onboard, but instead he lost the grip and fell headfirst on the grass beside the track.

Bolt hit the ground hard, his body rolling around for what felt like a hundred times before collapsing in the grass.

He lay there, panting for a few seconds before finally building up enough strength to force his aching muscles to lift him. Blinking to clear his vision, Bolt saw to things. The first thing was water, splashing and roaring, it was crossing in streams in front of him. And below his paws was sand. He was standing on a beach, and in front of him was a river.

The second thing he saw was the hill he had just tumbled down from, and above him, the tracks he had followed had turned into a bridge over the thundering water, a tall steel structure the transport vehicle was now crossing. Soon, it would be on the other side of the river. There was no way Bolt would be able to climb up on the tall steel structure, and there was no time to run back to the hill and try to cross it that way.

The sight of the thundering water made the hairs on his back stand on end. But he had no choice. He had to get across. Someway, he would manage it. It was just a little water.

...

Benji must be a really stupid dog: Because now, rather than trying to find his way back to the dog pound, which certainly would be what a smart and sensible dog would do, he was running along a train track, in search for some crazy white dog he had just met and didn't much like to begin with. The dog pound wasn't so bad when he thought about it. It was warm, and there was probably a bowl of food waiting for him if he returned now. But he didn't. Instead he kept on running. The cold night air was freezing and the fog around him made it hard to see but at all, but he had to find Bolt. It was that strange, peculiar feeling again. Stronger than ever.

He finally reached the train station. It was a lonely concrete platform in the middle of nowhere, populated only be a few crates and a forklift. He had never been this far from home before. Only once, the day his family had taken him to the pound, never to been again. Benji didn't like this train station.

"Bolt!" he called out in the fog, but from the fog came no reply, and there was no white dog anywhere on the platform.

Suddenly, his floppy ears picked up the unmistakable sound of a train whistle. Turning his head, he could see the headlights of a train in the distance. He set off running towards the light source, and as he got closer, he was met by a peculiar sight.

An orange diesel locomotive was speeding away, and behind it was a small white dot, running quite a bit faster than Benji thought it should be possible for any dog to run. He was actually chasing the train.

_The dog must be crazy! _

Benji started running again, now in the direction of Bolt and the locomotive. He reached the hill with a bridge leading over a wide river. But where was Bolt? Benji looked down towards the riverside, and saw something that defied all reason. He saw the white dog jumped, headfirst, into the wavy water of the river. Almost immediately, he saw his white dog disappear under the powerful waves.

_The dog IS crazy! _

...

The second Bolt fell into the water, the world around him was suddenly replaced by water and bubbles. The cold was the first thing to hit him, it overloaded his senses and made it hard to even move. It was as if something inside of him short-circuited and he couldn't think in the icing wetness that was surrounding him.

Oxygen. He needed oxygen. That was the first thought that hit him. He instinctively kicked with his legs before his muzzle shot out above the surface. He opened his mouth to take a deep breath, but instead of air, he got mouthful of water as another wave crashed over him, dragging him down below the surface again. Panic grabbed him. He kicked with his legs, paws, everything, trying basically to get back to the surface, but it was like an invisible, watery hand had just grabbed him and pulled him downwards into its cold breath. Bolt had never seen so much water before, let alone swum in it, and now he feared for his life.

_Focus Bolt. You're better than this. You're a superdog. You've trained for these situations all your life._

He forced his eyes open, looked around and spotted the gleaming light coming from the surface. He forced his desperate kicks into a rhythmic cycling with his paws, and he managed to move towards the surface.

Once again, he managed to get above the water around him. His wet ears were immediately met by the roaring thunder of waves upon waves surround him. He took a deep breath and looked around. He was still near the shore. He could try to make it back, but then he saw the train pulling away in the distance. He had to make it across. He started cycling his paws again, moving slowly but steadily across the wavy river towards the farthest beach, focused and with a clear goal in mind. He had to make it. He knew he could. Just a few more kicks. A few more watery half-breathes. He could see the beach closing.

Suddenly, he felt something grab him. Teeth clenched around his neck scruff, pulling him in the opposite direction. "Hold on, I got you!" a voice behind him yelled.

"No!" Bolt fried himself from the Labrador. With nothing holding him over water, he immediately lost control as another wave rolled over him, pushing him under the water. Bolt sank deep, deep into the dark depth. Around him was nothing but darkness. He kicked towards the surface, but he had lost all sense of direction, and he didn't know where the surface was. His kicks only pushed him deeper into the watery depth. The watery darkness was now total and all around him. It got inside of him, numbed him. His brain still screamed for oxygen, but he was too tired to listen. He went limp, too exhausted to, too exhausted to do anything but les his body sink deeper into the darkness. The last thing he felt was teeth around his scruff again, before the pleasant darkness befolded his senses.


	5. Chapter 5 - Wet Dogs

_**Authors note:**_

_Warning: cheesyness ahead. This is the chapter where a bit more of Benji's true intentions are revealed, both to Bolt and Benji himself. _

_Thanks to JimmyRocket, and fanficwriter-25 amongst others for reviewing! _

_PS: I'll make sure to update at least once a week from now on. _

* * *

**- Chapter 5: WET DOGS -**

Benji dragged Bolt's limp body out over the water, through the wet sand of the riverbed and then collapsed beside him.

The two drenched dogs lied there on their backs, panting, both too utterly exhausted to do anything else than grasping for air.

"It's … it's Benji" the black dog suddenly said. "My name is Benji. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." he panted out.

Beside him, Bolt slowly rose on shaky legs, still panting and shivering. He looked considerably smaller now with his once dried and fluffy fur drenched, hanging in strands of soaked white hair from his neck and belly, but Benji could still distinguish a lot of muscle under that drenched fur. "Why did you do that, you fiend!?" Bolt suddenly burst out at the surprised Labrador.

"That's a strange way of saying thanks." Benji retorted in surprise.

"You're welcome by the way. When I find you, you were drowning. I thought I lost … HEY!"

The last word was shouted out as Benji saw the white canine dive back into the roaring water.

"What on earth are you doing!?" Benji immediately jumped into the river after Bolt, biting down and around his scruff and dragging him back up against the shore. Luckily, the shepherd was too exhausted to offer much resistance.

"Are you crazy!? The safe shore is that direction." Benji pointed with a paw.

"Don't you understand I just saved your life!?"

"You don't understand!" Desperation was apparent on Bolt's face. "I gotta get across. I gotta get on that train!" he blurted out between chocking up water". "Mittens and Rhino are on there. I got to get to Penny … only a few waffles… I gotta find my person…" he collapsed in exhaustion, falling down on his side in front of the confused Labrador.

Benji rushed to Bolt, pressing an ear against his side. Thanks God, he was still breathing, but his eyes remained closed. Benji looked desperately at the canine, wondering what to do. He nudged the unconscious dog's side but there was no response. A part of him considered leaving him where has. He wasn't his problem after all. Another part however knew that leaving the shepherd soaked out in the cold wasn't an option. His own body was already shaking from the icy cold. He suddenly noticed that rain was pouring down on them, and the sun had gone down.

_This day is only getting better and better…_

First things first; he needed to find shelter. Someplace where they could both spend the night which wouldn't mean deep-frying their drenches bodies. There was no way he'd be able to drag Bolt all the way back to the train station. Instead, Benji looked over the riverside which seemed completely void of potential shelter, save for a lonely trawler docked next to a pier. It wasn't the fancy private kind of trawler, more like the rusty old fishing kind. It probably smelled too. Benji looked back at Bolt. He didn't look like he was about to start moving, nor that he would care about any risks of fish odors. _Trawler it is. _

"Don't worry, crazy dog, I'm not gonna leave you" Benji whispered before once again biting down around the dog's scruff and starting to drag him through the beach sand towards the pier. Getting the unconscious dog up on the pier wasn't difficult, but getting him onboard the trawler proved to be a hassle, and Benji was ultimately forced to push the unconscious Bolt onboard the small boat. Fortunately, the door to the cabin was unlocked so getting himself and Bolt inside wasn't difficult. The second they were both inside the small cabin, Benji fell to the floor next to Bolt, now absolutely exhausted after the ordeal. The cabin was not much warmer than the beach but it least it didn't stink of fish. He turned to Bolt, and a shock of sorrow washed over him as he saw that the shepherd was still unconscious. If it wasn't for the slight raising and lowering of his chest, Benji would have feared the worst. Not knowing how to perform CPR, and not feeling quite comfortable enough to perform a mouth-to-mouth either, Benji wasn't sure what to do about the situation. So instead, he lied down next to Bolt's soaked body, draping a paw over his side. Before he could stop himself, he started licking him, his warm tongue brushing against Bolt's wet cheek, wanting desperately for the white dog to wake up.

After a few minutes of continuous licking, he stopped momentarily, wondering just what he was doing. This certainly wasn't normal Benji-behavior. Benji certainly didn't lick other dogs he barely knew, certainly not male ones, and he is the kind of dog who would stalk said dog for over a mile, and throw himself into a plangent river after him…twice. It was as if the crazy canine he was currently in the process of licking had infected also him with craziness.

Just as he was in the process of brushing his tongue over Bolt's white cheek, Bolt's eye unexpectedly opened and he found himself staring into that deep, brown orb which stared back at him, seemingly just as surprised to see him as he was to see it.

Benji quickly retracted his tongue and got up on his feet, watching in fear as Bolt coughed up water. "Are you okay" he asked carefully, equally worried about the white dog's health as the idea of him noticing his tongue on his cheek. The shepherd didn't reply, just stared into the floor with an empty expression on his face while water seeped from his muzzle down to the parquet flooring. Benji was about to move closer, but the white dog turned away from him, and remained quiet.

"Why did you have to do it?" he finally asked, speaking quietly, still staring at the floor.

The Labrador was taken aback by the question. "Save your life I mean? That's a strange question to ask!"

"I was so close to making it. I would have reached the shore if you hadn't stopped me", the white dog continued, his ears drooping and gaze firmly looked on the floor below his paws.

"That's not what I saw; a saw a suicidal dog drowning and decided to save him. What were you thinking trying to get over a flowing river like that, just to catch some stupid train?"

"You don't understand!" Bolt turned to Benji, two intent eyes staring at him behind a pair of frowned eyebrows. "I really _really_ needed to get on that train. It's just… I can't explain why."

"It's complicated, huh?"

"It is complicated, yes". Bolt nodded. He felt as something inside of him was broken, and everything had been turned upside down. He had failed to get back in time. He had failed to catch the train and make it over the river. He had failed everything.

Bolt walked to the corner of a cabin and sank down, without even taking the time to circle his sleeping spot like he always used to. He just wanted to fall asleep, fall away from all this and perhaps when he wakes up, he'll wake up to see the sight of Mittens and Rhino and he can tell them what a horrible dream he had.

On the other side of the small cabin, Benji felt equally miserable as he watched Bolt lie down without as much as a word to him from him. His first meeting with the dog had gone nothing like he had planned. He had hoped that saving Bolt would make him happy and grateful, and they could start over despite his horrible "introduction". Instead, it seemed like he had made everything worse. _Bolt hated him. _Yet that peculiar feeling was stronger than ever.

Benji let out a deep sigh, then lied down on a pair of blankets in his own corner on the other side of the cold cabin. From his spot, he could see the white back that belonged to Bolt.

To the sound of the rain pouring down outside, the two dogs closed their eyes.

He woke up by his own shivering. It was now completely dark outside, but across the room he could still see the white shape of the shepherd. He could even see his chest raising and falling softly in the moonlight from the window. He could tell he was still awake. His back looked so soft and furry. His eyes wandered along the curve of his stretched out body, the slight elevation of his firm hip, his slender belly, strong legs and necks, those perfect pointy ears. That peculiar feeling rose within him again, it conspired against him, took control of his muzzle and words came out, against his will. Words that Benji would never say.

"You want to come a bit closer?"

Bolt's head rose. Suddenly, those brown intent eyes looked at him again, glimmering in the darkness.

"It's cold so we could, you know, sleep together. Lie together I mean. You know, for the cold."

"I'm fine", Bolt replied in his typical concise and earnest way, his head returning to its spot on his crossed paws.

"Are you sure? I have blankets…" Benji smiled invitingly while doing an exposing motion with his paws over the dirty rugs next to him. But there was no answer. Benji waited and waited, and after a few minutes he just assumed the white dog had fallen asleep. _Not only had he made Bolt hate him, now he had embarrassed himself too._ He gave up and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, his floppy black ears perked up as he heard the faint sound of paws tripping on a wooden floor. Pretending to be asleep, Benji remained still but kept his left eye open. With a quiet thump, Bolt lied down next on his side next to him, his back lying right beside him on the blanket, and Benji's heart jumped. "Goodnight" the white dog mumbled.

Benji's heart felt like it was experiencing a meltdown. But that peculiar feeling still burned inside of him, and this wasn't enough. In a sudden act of bravery that surprised even himself, he's arms flew out, wrapping it over Bolt's side, pulling him closer until the soft fur of his back pressed against his chest, and their warm bodies interlocked. The warmth of his foreign body, the scent from his fur, the sound of his breath. It was all overwhelming. Bolt opened and eye and looked at him, then closed it again, without uttering any comment. Benji thought he could see a smile creep across his muzzle, if but a faint one.

Lying there with the warm body pressed up against him, Benji finally felt that peculiar feeling die off to be replaced by a calm euphoria. For the first time in his life, he didn't want to fall asleep, knowing that no dream could possibly be better than the reality he was experiencing right now. However, the warmth from the white shepherds body, his calm breathing, it was all too much and soon his eyelids closed. _Oh my God, I'm actually touching his body_, was the last thought that entered his mind before passing into deep sleep.

Bolt was utterly confused and surprised, yet found himself completely tranquil. A few minutes ago, he felt like his life was effectively over: depressed, chaotic and scared. He didn't feel that way anymore, and he guessed it was something to do with that weird Labrador that was now hugging him from behind. That's what confused him_. Why? How does that make sense?_ As his fuzzy head was trying to understand of the situation, he suddenly heard quiet, happy whines coming from the dog behind him. Bolt couldn't help smiling a bit. He decided to forget the logics of it all for now. Instead, he just closed his eyes, enjoying the softness and warmth coming from the body behind him.

Bolt called out, but there was no response. Around him, the small concrete platform that made out the station stood abandoned. There was no humans around. There were no cats or hamsters either. In the distance, Bolt could see the transport vehicle pulling away.

_I'm too late! _

The white dog set after the vehicle, which was picking up speed. Bolt ran and ran, he ran so fast that the tracks he followed blurred out before him, and all he could see was the backside of the vehicle pulling away. Whenever he managed to gain on it, the vehicle accelerated away. But Mittens and Rhino was onboard. He needed to reach it, somehow. _He should have never haft left. Why did he have to let that stupid Labrador distract him! _

His lungs were burning and his entire body ached for him to stop and breath. Instead, he pushed himself to run faster, and almost managed to reach the fast vehicle, with his nose so close to its backside he could smell rusty undercarriage of the machine. With the last strength his body could master, he jumped, attempting to board the vehicle by clinging on to a metal bar attached to the vehicles backside. His last experience with these speedy vehicles had been painful, but he had to get onboard. If he lost the others, his chances of finding Penny would be lost with them. With his front paws locked around the bar, he tried to lift himself onboard, but instead he lost the grip and fell headfirst on the grass beside the track.

Bolt hit the ground hard, his body rolling around for what felt like a hundred times before collapsing in the grass.

He lay there, panting for a few seconds before finally building up enough strength to force his aching muscles to lift him. Blinking to clear his vision, Bolt saw to things. The first thing was water, splashing and roaring, it was crossing in streams in front of him. And below his paws was sand. He was standing on a beach, and in front of him was a river.

The second thing he saw was the hill he had just tumbled down from, and above him, the tracks he had followed had turned into a bridge over the thundering water, a tall steel structure the transport vehicle was now crossing. Soon, it would be on the other side of the river. There was no way Bolt would be able to climb up on the tall steel structure, and there was no time to run back to the hill and try to cross it that way.

The sight of the thundering water made the hairs on his back stand on end. But he had no choice. He had to get across. Someway, he would manage it. It was just a little water.

…

Benji must be a really stupid dog: Because now, rather than trying to find his way back to the dog pound, which certainly would be what a smart and sensible dog would do, he was running along a train track, in search for some crazy white dog he had just met and didn't much like to begin with. The dog pound wasn't so bad when he thought about it. It was warm, and there was probably a bowl of food waiting for him if he returned now. But he didn't. Instead he kept on running. The cold night air was freezing and the fog around him made it hard to see but at all, but he had to find Bolt. It was that strange, peculiar feeling again. Stronger than ever.

He finally reached the train station. It was a lonely concrete platform in the middle of nowhere, populated only be a few crates and a forklift. He had never been this far from home before. Only once, the day his family had taken him to the pound, never to been again. Benji didn't like this train station.

"Bolt!" he called out in the fog, but from the fog came no reply, and there was no white dog anywhere on the platform.

Suddenly, his floppy ears picked up the unmistakable sound of a train whistle. Turning his head, he could see the headlights of a train in the distance. He set off running towards the light source, and as he got closer, he was met by a peculiar sight.

An orange diesel locomotive was speeding away, and behind it was a small white dot, running quite a bit faster than Benji thought it should be possible for any dog to run. He was actually chasing the train.

_The dog must be crazy! _

Benji started running again, now in the direction of Bolt and the locomotive. He reached the hill with a bridge leading over a wide river. But where was Bolt? Benji looked down towards the riverside, and saw something that defied all reason. He saw the white dog jumped, headfirst, into the wavy water of the river. Almost immediately, he saw his white dog disappear under the powerful waves.

_The dog IS crazy! _

…

The second Bolt fell into the river, the world around him was suddenly replaced by water and bubbles. The cold was the first thing to hit him, it overloaded his senses and made it hard to even move. It was as if something inside of him short-circuited and he couldn't think in the icing wetness that was surrounding him.

Oxygen. He needed oxygen. That was the first thought that came to him. He instinctively kicked with his legs before his muzzle shot out above the surface. He opened his mouth to take a deep breath, but instead of air, he got mouthful of water as another wave crashed over him, dragging him down below the surface again. Panic grabbed him. He kicked with his legs, paws, everything, trying basically to get back to the surface, but it was like an invisible, watery hand had just grabbed him and pulled him downwards into its cold breath. Bolt had never seen so much water before, let alone swum in it, and now he feared for his life.

_Focus Bolt. You're better than this. You're a superdog. You've trained for these situations all your life._

He forced his eyes open, looked around and spotted the gleaming light coming from the surface. He forced his desperate kicks into a rhythmic cycling with his paws, and he managed to move towards the surface.

Once again, he managed to get above the water around him. His wet ears were immediately met by the roaring thunder of waves upon waves surround him. He took a deep breath and looked around. He was still near the shore. He could try to make it back, but then he saw the train pulling away in the distance. He had to make it across. He started cycling his paws again, moving slowly but steadily across the wavy river towards the farthest beach, focused and with a clear goal in mind. He had to make it. He knew he could. Just a few more kicks. A few more watery half-breathes. With each kick, his head would shoot over the surface, and each time, he could see the opposite beach coming closer.

Suddenly, he felt something grab him. Teeth clenched around his neck scruff, pulling him in the opposite direction. "Hold on, I got you!" a voice behind him shouted.

"No!" Bolt fried himself from the Labrador. With nothing holding him over water, he immediately lost control as another wave rolled over him, pushing him under the water. Bolt sank deep, deep into the dark depth. Around him was nothing but darkness. He kicked towards the surface, but he had lost all sense of direction, and he didn't know where the surface was. His kicks only pushed him deeper into the watery depth. The watery darkness was now total and all around him. It got inside of him, numbed him. His brain still screamed for oxygen, but he was too tired to listen. He went limp, too exhausted to think, too exhausted to do anything but les his body sink deeper into the darkness. The last thing he felt was teeth around his scruff again, before the pleasant darkness befolded his senses.

…

Benji dragged Bolt's limp body out over the water, through the wet sand of the riverbed and then collapsed beside him.

The two drenched dogs lied there on their backs, panting, both too utterly exhausted to do anything else than grasping for air.

"It's … it's Benji" the black dog suddenly said. "My name is Benji. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." he panted out.

Beside him, Bolt slowly rose on shaky legs, still panting and shivering. He looked considerably smaller now with his once dried and fluffy fur drenched, hanging in strands of soaked white hair from his neck and belly, but Benji could still distinguish a lot of muscle under that drenched fur. "Why did you do that, you fiend!?" Bolt suddenly burst out at the surprised Labrador.

"That's a strange way of saying thanks." Benji retorted in surprise.

"You're welcome by the way. When I find you, you were drowning. I thought I lost … HEY!"

The last word was shouted out as Benji saw the white canine dive back into the roaring water.

"What on earth are you doing!?" Benji immediately jumped into the river after Bolt, biting down and around his scruff and dragging him back up against the shore. Luckily, the shepherd was too exhausted to offer much resistance.

"Are you crazy!? The safe shore is that direction." Benji pointed with a paw.

"Don't you understand I just saved your life!?"

"You don't understand!" Desperation was apparent on Bolt's face. "I gotta get across. I gotta get on that train!" he blurted out between chocking up water". "Mittens and Rhino are on there. I got to get to Penny … only a few waffles… I gotta find my person…" he collapsed in exhaustion, falling down on his side in front of the confused Labrador.

Benji rushed to Bolt, pressing an ear against his side. Thanks God, he was still breathing, but his eyes remained closed. Benji looked desperately at the canine, wondering what to do. He nudged the unconscious dog's side but there was no response. A part of him considered leaving him where has. He wasn't his problem after all. Another part however knew that leaving the shepherd soaked out in the cold wasn't an option. His own body was already shaking from the icy cold. He suddenly noticed that rain was pouring down on them, and the sun had gone down.

_This day is only getting better and better…_

First things first; he needed to find shelter. Someplace where they could both spend the night which wouldn't mean deep-frying their drenches bodies. There was no way he'd be able to drag Bolt all the way back to the train station. Instead, Benji looked over the riverside which seemed completely void of potential shelter, save for a lonely trawler docked next to a pier. It wasn't the fancy private kind of trawler, more like the rusty old fishing kind. It probably smelled too. Benji looked back at Bolt. He didn't look like he was about to start moving, nor that he would care about any risks of fish odors. _Trawler it is. _

"Don't worry, crazy dog, I'm not gonna leave you" Benji whispered before once again biting down around the dog's scruff and starting to drag him through the beach sand towards the pier. Getting the unconscious dog up on the pier wasn't difficult, but getting him onboard the trawler proved to be a hassle, and Benji was ultimately forced to push the unconscious Bolt onboard the small boat. Fortunately, the door to the cabin was unlocked so getting himself and Bolt inside wasn't difficult. The second they were both inside the small cabin, Benji fell to the floor next to Bolt, now absolutely exhausted after the ordeal. The cabin was not much warmer than the beach but it least it didn't stink of fish. He turned to Bolt, and a shock of sorrow washed over him as he saw that the shepherd was still unconscious. If it wasn't for the slight raising and lowering of his chest, Benji would have feared the worst. Not knowing how to perform CPR, and not feeling quite comfortable enough to perform a mouth-to-mouth either, Benji wasn't sure what to do about the situation. So instead, he lied down next to Bolt's soaked body, draping a paw over his side. Before he could stop himself, he started licking him, his warm tongue brushing against Bolt's wet cheek, wanting desperately for the white dog to wake up.

After a few minutes of continuous licking, he stopped momentarily, wondering just what he was doing. This certainly wasn't normal Benji-behavior. Benji certainly didn't lick other dogs he barely knew, certainly not male ones, and he is the kind of dog who would stalk said dog for over a mile, and throw himself into a plangent river after him…twice. It was as if the crazy canine he was currently in the process of licking had infected also him with craziness.

Just as he was in the process of brushing his tongue over Bolt's white cheek, Bolt's eye unexpectedly opened and he found himself staring into that deep, brown orb which stared back at him, seemingly just as surprised to see him as he was to see it.

Benji quickly retracted his tongue and got up on his feet, watching in fear as Bolt coughed up water. "Are you okay" he asked carefully, equally worried about the white dog's health as the idea of him noticing his tongue on his cheek. The shepherd didn't reply, just stared into the floor with an empty expression on his face while water seeped from his muzzle down to the parquet flooring. Benji was about to move closer, but the white dog turned away from him, and remained quiet.

"Why did you have to do it?" he finally asked, speaking quietly, still staring at the floor.

The Labrador was taken aback by the question. "Save your life I mean? That's a strange question to ask!"

"I was so close to making it. I would have reached the shore if you hadn't stopped me", the white dog continued, his ears drooping and gaze firmly looked on the floor below his paws.

"That's not what I saw; a saw a suicidal dog drowning and decided to save him. What were you thinking trying to get over a flowing river like that, just to catch some stupid train?"

"You don't understand!" Bolt turned to Benji, two intent eyes staring at him behind a pair of frowned eyebrows. "I really _really_ needed to get on that train. It's just… I can't explain why."

"It's complicated, huh?"

"It is complicated, yes". Bolt nodded. He felt as something inside of him was broken, and everything had been turned upside down. He had failed to get back in time. He had failed to catch the train and make it over the river. He had failed everything.

Bolt walked to the corner of a cabin and sank down, without even taking the time to circle his sleeping spot like he always used to. He just wanted to fall asleep, fall away from all this and perhaps when he wakes up, he'll wake up to see the sight of Mittens and Rhino and he can tell them what a horrible dream he had.

On the other side of the small cabin, Benji felt equally miserable as he watched Bolt lie down without as much as a word to him from him. His first meeting with the dog had gone nothing like he had planned. He had hoped that saving Bolt would make him happy and grateful, and they could start over despite his horrible "introduction". Instead, it seemed like he had made everything worse. _Bolt hated him. _Yet that peculiar feeling was stronger than ever.

Benji let out a deep sigh, then lied down on a pair of blankets in his own corner on the other side of the cold cabin. From his spot, he could see the white back that belonged to Bolt.

To the sound of the rain pouring down outside, the two dogs closed their eyes.

He woke up by his own shivering. It was now completely dark outside, but across the room he could still see the white shape of the shepherd. He could even see his chest raising and falling softly in the moonlight from the window. He could tell he was still awake. His back looked so soft and furry. His eyes wandered along the curve of his stretched out body, the slight elevation of his firm hip, his slender belly, strong legs and necks, those perfect pointy ears. That peculiar feeling rose within him again, it conspired against him, took control of his muzzle and words came out, against his will. Words that Benji would never say.

"You want to come a bit closer?"

Bolt's head rose. Suddenly, those brown intent eyes looked at him again, glimmering in the darkness.

"It's cold so we could, you know, sleep together. Lie together I mean. You know, for the cold."

"I'm fine", Bolt replied in his typical concise and earnest way, his head returning to its spot on his crossed paws.

"Are you sure? I have blankets…" Benji smiled invitingly while doing an exposing motion with his paws over the dirty rugs next to him. But there was no answer. Benji waited and waited, and after a few minutes he just assumed the white dog had fallen asleep. _Not only had he made Bolt hate him, now he had embarrassed himself too._ He gave up and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, his floppy black ears perked up as he heard the faint sound of paws tripping on a wooden floor. Pretending to be asleep, Benji remained still but kept his left eye open. With a quiet thump, Bolt lied down next on his side next to him, his back lying right beside him on the blanket, and Benji's heart jumped. "Goodnight" the white dog mumbled.

Benji's heart felt like it was experiencing a meltdown. But that peculiar feeling still burned inside of him, and this wasn't enough. In a sudden act of bravery that surprised even himself, he's arms flew out, wrapping it over Bolt's side, pulling him closer until the soft fur of his back pressed against his chest, and their warm bodies interlocked. The warmth of his foreign body, the scent from his fur, the sound of his breath. It was all overwhelming. Bolt opened and eye and looked at him, then closed it again, without uttering any comment. Benji thought he could see a smile creep across his muzzle, if but a faint one.

Lying there with the warm body pressed up against him, Benji finally felt that peculiar feeling die off to be replaced by a calm euphoria. For the first time in his life, he didn't want to fall asleep, knowing that no dream could possibly be better than the reality he was experiencing right now. However, the warmth from the white shepherds body, his calm breathing, it was all too much and soon his eyelids closed. _Oh my God, I'm actually touching his body_, was the last thought that entered his mind before passing into deep sleep.

Bolt was utterly confused and surprised, yet found himself completely tranquil. A few minutes ago, he felt like his life was effectively over: depressed, chaotic and scared. He didn't feel that way anymore, and he guessed it was something to do with that weird Labrador that was now hugging him from behind. That's what confused him_. Why? How does that make sense?_ As his fuzzy head was trying to understand of the situation, he suddenly heard quiet, happy whines coming from the dog behind him. Bolt couldn't help smiling a bit. He decided to forget the logics of it all for now. Instead, he just closed his eyes, enjoying the softness and warmth coming from the body behind him.


	6. Chapter 6 - Pigeon Interrogation

_**Authors note:**_

_At last, an update. Sorry about the cliff-hanger, but I already got the next chapter finish and I promise to update real soon. (For realsies this time)_

_Thanks to JimmyRocket, and fanficwriter-25 amongst others for reviewing! _

* * *

**- Chapter 6: ENHANCED INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES -**

"Listen. I'll take it real slow so your walnut-sized pheasant brain can follow, okay?" An annoyed Mittens stared down at the small pigeon in front of her.

"White dog. Medium-sized. Got this smudged lightning bolt on his butt". She gave the description for what must be the fourth time, making sure to really articulate all the syllabus extra slowly so that the stupid pigeon would follow. "He's a pretty memorable fellow, so if you've seen him you'd know."

"I'm sorry miss Cat, but I just ain't gon' be able to help ya. I've been watching this here human for a while, and I got the nudges they gon' be throwing some bread soon, and I ain't missing that cos' of some cat."

"Geez, which crazy-ass country did you migrate from? Just tell me if you've seen him!"

"I done told ye already, Miss Cat. I ain't seen no dog with no smudged lightning bolts."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure as sure gets."

Mittens let out a deep sigh. The black cat had been up all night searching for Bolt. Her search for clues had taken her to this park where she had now spent more than three irritating hours interviewing a flock of pigeons. It was bad enough she had to stoop so low as turning to these primitive poultry for help. The fact that no pigeon thus far had been able to help her, that most of them had just flown away the second they saw the cat approaching, and that one of them had even been rude enough to peck her in the head, only made it worse.

So the last thing she wanted was to waste any more time on this particularly stupid bird than was necessary.

"Fine. But do you know if any of your pigeon friends might know where he is?" she asked patiently.

"No. Now beat it will ya? The old man looks like he's about to throw somin' real nice real soon."

Mittens looked skeptically at the old man sitting on the park bench by the pond, staring into nothingness.

"That's an old human, meaning they are extra stupid. He probably can't even see us", she sneered. "Why don't you just take a quick flight, scan the area from above and report to me if you see any white dogs around?"

"Supposin' I could do that… supposin' there was some kind of remuneration… reward. I reckon I could spread my wings and take an aerial look for yer lost lightning-bolt-pooch."

"I won't use you as a scratching post for wasting my time, how's that for a reward?" she snarled back. The last being in the world she would allow to talk down to her was some cross-eyed poultry.

"With them clawless mitts of yours? You must think I'm nuttier than a squirrel turd, Miss Cat."

"Stop calling me miss, you stupid bird!"

"Mister then"

"Gaahh!" Mittens was so frustrated she wanted to claw the bird to feathery pieces to the best of her declawed paws. That, however, killing this bewinged rat wouldn't bring her any closer to finding Bolt. She decided to change strategy.

"Fine. Just know that there is a helpless dog out there who without my guidance might end up trying to head-tackle a car or get lost in the woods or get into all kinds of danger. By not helping me, you're letting that happen. Enjoy your freaking bread".

She turned around, as dignified as she could, walked a few meters away from the pigeon, then looked over her shoulder to see if her words had any impact.

_They hadn't._

They grey pigeon was still by the park bench, eagerly waiting for any crumbs thrown by the presumably blind old man.

Mittens decided to give up.

**...**

The sun was already rising when Mittens returned from the nearby park.

"Any luck with the pigeon-recon?" The hamster asked hopefully upon spotting the returning tuxedo cat, although Mittens sullen face already revealed that she had no such luck.

"Stupid bird was too busy waiting for crumbs". She sat down beside the rodent.

"You should have used the enhanced interrogation techniques I suggested."

"You mean the torture techniques?" Mittens eyed the hamster warily. "You watch way too much television. You're fascination with violence is getting a bit creepy." _Although in the case of this bird, I'm almost inclined to agree, _she thought to herself.

"I see you haven't had much more luck either", she continued nodding to the empty concrete platform which was empty save for the little hamster (and completely void of any returned superdogs).

"No, but I've been scanning the sector. You want the good news or the bad?"

"Might as well get the bad out of the way seeing as I'm already miserable"

"Well, as you can see, I didn't find him. But I did find some paw marks!". The Rhino pointed eagerly towards the train tracks with his little rodent fingers.

"And the good news?"

"That's just it. I found paw tracks! Come, I'll show you!" the rodent squealed enthusiastically, rolling away while humming some repetitive melody. The cat followed closely.

Just as Rhino had said, there was a track of paws following along the side of the train track; Big paws, although Mittens couldn't determine whether they belonged to the vanished superdog they were searching for.

"Can't be Bolt's. See, they lead away from the station, and he knew we agreed to meet right here." she said.

The hamster shrugged. "Will if it was Bolt, it sorta looks like he's running from something."

"Or running after something" Mittens examined the paw marks. Suddenly it hit her like a speeding diesel train. "He was chasing the freaking train! He must have thought we were onboard! That poor, stupid dog thinks we're in Kansas!

Rhino stood silent for a moment, then spoke, utter determination in his voice.

"Then we'll go after him to Kansas…"

…

Sunshine assaulted the snoozing Labradors eyelids, causing the black dog to blink uncomfortably and drop a paw over his drowsy forehead. Another paw flew out expected to wrap around the warm body of a white shepherd, but instead landed on the cold wooden floor.

Blinking himself awake, Benji awoke to the uncomfortable feeling of not having a warm body beside him to nuzzle up against.

_Where's Bolt?_

The Labrador flew up. A quick look around confirmed that Bolt was not in the cabin, nor on the boat, so he jumped out on the peer outside, frantically looking around. Suddenly, he noticed the shepherd's brown collar washed up on the wet sands of the riverbed.

Panic grabbed him. One thought rushed through his head; _That stupid dog has tried to get over the river again! _


	7. Chapter 7 - Two Lost Dogs

_**Authors note:**_

There's a lot of talking going on this one, but stay with it because it's all necessary to tie things together.

Also: random trivia!

*Benji is named after a dog I knew as a kid, but in-universe, he's named after the famous dog actor of the same name!

*Mittens was originally supposed to be named Mr Mittens (her owners never took care to even check which gender she is! – The pigeon's tendency to refer to Mittens as "Miss" is a bit of a reference to that.

*Bolt is heroic and earnest, but he's also a silly pup who likes to bath.

* * *

**- Chapter 7: TWO LOST DOGS -**

Benji was just about to panic when suddenly, his floppy ears picked up the sound of splashing. It came from the pier.

Benji trotted over there where he was met by the surprising sight of Bolt splashing around in the river, blowing bubbles on the surface and hitting the water hard with his paws, spraying water all around. He could even hear the shepherd giggling between the splashing.

"What on earth are you doing?" Benji asked, his worries replaced by both relief and annoyance.

Bolt stopped and looked up to see the black Labrador from last night, looking down at him with a cooker eyebrow.

"Just bathing", he smiled back before diving below the surface, then kicking up again spraying water over the pier and Benji.

"Well I can see that. But what's with the giggling and playing?" Benji wiped away some water from his face with a paw. "You act as if you've never seen water before."

"Oh I have! Just not this much at the same place."

"Which crazy, strange place did you grow up in where they don't have rivers?"

Bolt didn't look like he understood the question, and instead just dove below the surface one last time, before jumping up on the pier and shaking, making his white fur stand on all ends.

"I would I have thought you'd want to stay away from any water after what happened last night." Benji scoffed, then ducked as a cluster of water drops sprayed over him.

"Well, I didn't plan on it originally. I had no idea you had dragged me into that boat, so when I stepped outside I fell right into it. Interesting stuff, this is. Makes you feel almost weightless!" He pawed the water, clearly fascinated.

"And the collar? I found it here, almost thought you had drowned" Benji continued.

"Oh no, I just took it off since I didn't want it to get wet", the white dog said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Wow. You know I've never met a dog who likes to bath before. Or one that knows how to take his collar on" he continued, watching as Bolt put a paw on his collar, angled his nose into the loop and pulled it over his forehead, his pointy ears folding under the collar, then turning to face the impressed labrador.

"Well now you have" Bolt said, smiling pompously, then realized that his ears were still caught under the collar, then started shaking, trying desperately to jiggle them free.

Chuckling softly at the desperate canine's attempt to free his ears from under the collar, Benji approached to help.

"Stand still for a second", he asked. Resting his neck against Bolt's, he carefully dragged the collar down with his teeth, causing first the first, then the second ear to spring free.

"There. See how much better things get when you let people help you".

"Yeah". Bolt let out a deep sigh.

"I guess I should thank you. For saving me, I mean." He looked down at his paws.

"Hey, don't mention it." Benji reflexively nuzzled the slouching shepherd's nose, then quickly retracted his nose again as he saw the young shepherd's ears perk up in surprise.

"Ahem. Yeah, sorry about that." he quickly stammered.

- "I…it's okay. I didn't mind."

A few awkward seconds passed before anyone of them said anything.

"So… aside from chasing trains, what are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?" Benji asked.

"I lost my person. Or well, I guess it's more like she lost me." Bolt looked up, a solemn expression in his face. "She is some place far away, and I need to get to her", he continued, speaking with a very grave voice so that Benji would understand the seriousness of the situation.

"Ah. Well, I won't hold you up". Benji gave an uncertain smile. "I guess I'll be on my way then. Good luck finding your owner". He formally offered his paw to Bolt who shook it eagerly.

He then turned around and started walking away along the beach, leaving the white shepherd on the pier. Bolt looked after him, trying desperately to think of something to say.

"Wait!"

The Labrador stopped, looking over his shoulder.

"Where is your person?"

Benji was taken aback by the question. "I … don't have any person".

- "Why? Have your person lost you too?" Concern was in Bolt's voice. Persons were important.

- "I think it's me who lost them. Benji lowered his head before a bit before speaking, as if searching for the right words. "I used to have my family, but the family had to move to the city, and the dog had to be left behind."

Bolt's ears shot up. _This dog was just as lost as he was._ "Where did they go?" he asked carefully.

"Heck, I don't care. It doesn't matter. I live at the dog pound now, because that's where they put us. They take your collar. They take care of you. For a while at least. Problem is; you never know how many bowls of food you got left on that place before they decide you aren't worth it."

"But you're a dog! Not some robot hovercraft you can just scrap when it gets outdated!"

"Well, I don't know what a robot hovercraft is, but I agree! So I managed to break out of that place. And then somehow I spotted you and those two other types you were with, I remembered you from the park and, well, I had nowhere else to go so I guess I just followed you."

Bolt just sat there on the peer, staring at Benji, letting his words sink in. He was about to say something, then stopped himself, trying to think of a comforting reply. He had never listened to someone else's problems like this. In fact, aside from Mittens, he had never really been as close to anyone else as Benji, and now he didn't know how to handle the situation. All he could think of saying felt inadequate, so he remained silent.

Meanwhile, Benji just stared at the ground. He regretted talking about this, stirring old emotions of sadness, emptiness and loneliness, feeling that he had tried to just lock away, put to rest and ignore. _Dammit, why did Bolt have to ask?_

"I'm gonna help you."

Benji looked up at Bolt who had risen to all four. There was something strangely heroic in the way the stood there on the pier, looking intently at him. Benji couldn't quite put his paw on what.

"You can come with me" Bolt continued. "After I find Penny, I'll help you look for your lost persons as well. Penny's really smart too! She could help us look for your persons"

Bolt wagged his tail slowly, waiting eagerly for the Labradors reply. He really wanted to do this, the last time he had wanted to help someone so badly was when Mittens was locked up at that place. The night of his great realization.

The Labrador was surprised, almost shocked by the insane proposition. Not only didn't Bolt want him to leave, he wanted to help him too. Benji would have assumed Bolt was joking, but in the shepherd's brown eyes he saw nothing but complete intent and determination.

But how could Bolt help him? _The dog could barely take care of himself! _As much as he wanted to travel with Bolt, Benji knew he had to decline. He already knew what to answer: _I'm really grateful for your offer, Bolt, but I don't think you can help me. _But just as he was about to say it, he somehow lost control of his muzzle, and entirely different words came out.

"Let's do it."

- "You mean it?" A smile reflexively grew on the shepherd's face.

_No, I don't. _"Yes, absolutely". _Dammit._ Benji swore to himself.

"Great!" Bolt wagged happily. He didn't realize it himself, and when he discovered it, he felt a tad embarrassed with his sudden puppylike behavior. Regaining control of his tail, he continued. "We will need to get to Mittens and Rhino first. Mittens is really good with navigating between waffles."

- "Waffles?"

- "Yeah, you know, key locations. Where you can stop and occasionally resupply on antidote."

Benji gave the shepherd a strange look. "Well, anyway, your cat might be good, but I doubt she'll get us all the way to Los Angeles".

"Los Angeles?" Bolt's ears perked up.

"Yeah, I think remember my family mentioning that place a lot before they moved." Benji looked up at Bolt who looked as if he had just thought of something.

"Follow me" he commanded, then jumped down from the peer and set off in the direction of the forest."

"Wait, why does it matter!?" Benji screamed after the disappearing dog. "Oh godammit, now he's going crazy again" he muttered to himself before setting off after the speeding shepherd.

The black and white dog ran back to the train station, back over the fields and to the forest. Perhaps if they had paid attention, they would have noticed a diesel train arriving at the lonely train station, and perhaps even a cat and a hamster sneaking onboard.

…

Looking around, Mittens confirmed that they were no humans nearby. She then jumped onboard one of the empty cars, then repeatedly tried to lift Rhino and his plastic ball onboard as well, her teeth struggling to grip the plastic. In this situation, Bolt's big jaw would have been very useful, but Mittens just couldn't bite wide enough to lift it.

"You're gonna have to get out, Rhino" Mittens sighed. Rhino hesitated, then, accepting his plastic ball was something he had to sacrifice to reunite with his hero, slowly crawled out of the ball, jumping onboard, leaving his transparent home in the grass.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be able to get another one" Mittens said comfortably as if knowing what Rhino was thinking.

The animals lied down to rest. In a few hours, the train would start moving and take them to Kansas where a totally unlost and unhurt Bolt would be waiting for them. At least that's what Mittens told herself before closing her eyes.

* * *

_Alright, wrap-up! It gets a bit complicated so here's a brief rundown._

_Bolt mistakenly believes Mittens and Rhino has left on a train to Kansas, a train they agreed to board together, and now teams up with Benji to get there. Unbeknownst to Bolt, Mittens and Rhino actually stayed behind in Missouri when Bolt didn't show up, but after spotting Bolt's paw tracks, thought that in that Bolt has left to Kansas. Major confusion! So now Mittens and Rhino has snuck onboard the next train which will take them to Kansas where they believe Bolt is._

_So will they find each other or this split up permanent? Read my next chapter to find out! ^^ _


	8. Chapter 8 - Waffles And Superdogs

_**Authors note:**_

Benji embarrasses himself in more ways than usual, but Bolt is kind enough to make sure he doesn't feel too bad about it. Also, with the help of a waffle map, the duo teams up to go to California.

* * *

**- Chapter 8: WAFFLES AND SUPERDOGS -**

After a few minutes of running, Bolt arrived at the sleeping spot where he, Mittens and Rhino had spent their first night. He dove his nose into the wet grass, sniffing around for something. Behind him, Benji wobbled up and sank down in the grass behind Bolt, panting heavily.

"Here it is!" Bolt was relieved to find the waffle map still lying on the field where he had left it just a day ago. He picked it up carefully and dropped it in front of Benji who was still exhausted from the run.

"This is a top-secret map, of the _entire _world." Bolt said dramatically.

"Uhu" Benji gazed skeptically over the colorful piece of plastic, filled with cartoon characters and bright colors.

"Bolt hunkered down, investigating the map silently, his concentrated gaze scanning over the surface like a laser beam until he found what he was like for. "There!" he suddenly burst out, his discovery causing Benji to jump in surprise and his own tail to whip happily against the wet grass.

"Look, here! By the waffle with the sunglasses" Bolt pointed, then looked up at Benji who looked at him as if he had just said something weird.

"The waffle with the sunglasses?"

"Yeah. That's where my person is, and that's where you're persons are now. It's written California."

"You can read?"

"No, but I recognize the word. Mittens and I have gone through this map like a thousand times!".

Bolt's radiant smile was almost infectious. Benji couldn't help smiling back, more due to Bolt's share enthusiasm than any hope that this "map" would help him find his family. His eyebrows furrowed as he took a closer look at the map.

"Wait a minute here, you are on to something" Benji looked up, somewhat amazed. "This means that we're going the same direction, right? Both of our owners are in California!"

"By the waffle with the sunglasses, yes" Bolt nodded eagerly. "We just need to follow this trial of waffles… " he landed a paw on the map, a furry digit following the trail "until we get to the waffle with the sunglasses, aka California" his paw stopped at the cartoon waffle."

"Wait wait wait, let's slow down a bit." The Labrador stared confusedly at Bolt. "Are you saying we can navigate to California with this glorified piece of fast-food commercial?"

- "Well, me, Mittens and Rhino used it to get this far."

- "How on earth did you manage to do that!?" Benji could barely believe his floppy ears.

Bolt shrugged. "Well, Mittens does most of the navigating. I'm mostly just using my dogface to generate food we can eat on the way."

- "How did you convince a _cat_ to go along with all this?"

- "Well, she was sort of my hostage"

- "And the hamster? Is he like your pet?"

- "No no" Bolt laughed. "He thinks I have superpowers, though."

- "Superpowers? Of course?" Benji rolled his eyes. "I guess it's because you're named after that Bolt TV-dog, right? It's crazy, you sort of look like him too."

Bolt's ears perked up. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, it's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm actually named after some stupid actor dog as well, who doesn't even look like me might I add."

Bolt just stared vacantly at Benji. In his furry head, he was trying to figure out what this dog was talking about. Suddenly it hit him; _He doesn't know I'm Bolt... _Bolt opened his mouth to tell Benji the truth, then stopped himself, deciding instead to take advantage of the situation.

"So, ehm. What do you think about that Bolt fellow?" he asked, a coy smile growing on his muzzle.

-"He's okay I guess. Used to watch it when my family had it on".

"Did you see it on your magic box, eerr, television thingy?"

"Yeah" Benji sat down on the grass, scratching himself with a hindpaw, trying his best to look as casual as possible. "Used to like it kind of lot. Used to think he was kind of cute."

"Really? What, ehm, did you like about him?" Bolt tried to keep his tail from wagging, to no avail.

"It's silly I know. But that was like a year ago. I'm not really into him anymore."

"Why not?" Bolt tail slowed down significantly.

"Guess I just grew out of it. Besides, the show started getting pretty unrealistic towards the second season. Arctic hover base? Like anyone can believe something like that is real" He chuckled, then turned to Bolt whose head and ears had drooped unhappily. "Anything wrong?"

- "Oh, uhm nothing" Bolt looked up. "Or well, I mean, maybe he like..." Bolt cleared his throat, trying to think of how to finish the sentence. "Maybe he thought it was all real? The show I mean. Maybe he thought that his person was in real danger?"

- "From the _evil_ Doctor Calico?" Benji snickered. "Then I guess he's stupid, too".

Bolt's tail had no come to a complete stop, dangling between his legs.

- "Anyway" Benji continued; "He wasn't even that attractive when I think about it. I have to say that you, for example, look a lot better than him" Benji smiled carefully, hoping he hadn't said too much.

"Really?" Bolt crooked an eyebrow.

-"Really." Benji confirmed, then froze as he laid eyes on a patch of greyish fur on Bolt's flank. A patch which sort of looked like a smudged lightning bolt. _The kind of lightning bolt that Bolt from the TV-show had…_

"Oh my gosh, I'm such an idiot" Benji stumbled for apologies. "I'm sorry, I, ehm, shouldn't have..." He had to look away, avoiding looking at the shepherd. Why did he have to say that about Bolt's handsomeness? Why does everything that blurt out of his darned muzzle had to embarrass him like this? He leered carefully towards the white shepherd's direction, and noticed that he didn't seem too insulted. Instead he came closer and sat down next to him.

"Hey, don't worry. You couldn't have known" Bolt smiled.

"I... ehm" Benji couldn't quite think with Bolt so close to him. He felt his cheeks heating up and thanked whatever gods may be for his black fur hiding his blush.

"Something about you make me say stupid things, do stupid things. I want you to know, I'm not normally this weird."

"Well, I'm normally weirder." Bolt chuckled.

Benji saw that he still had that goofy grin on him, despite the fact that he had first unknowingly insulted him and then blatantly complimented his looks. In his head, he was skimming through possible subject changers. All he could think of was questions.

"So you are Bolt. _The _Bolt, the superdog?

-"That's a positive."

"Alright. My first question is, what the heck are you doing out here?"

"It's a long story."

"Well, we got a few days to walk before we're in Las Angeles, so you might as well"

"Fine" Bolt cleared his throat. "It all started when me and Penny infiltrated the Green Eyed Man's supercomputer-complex…


	9. Chapter 9 - Transport Vehicles

_**Authors note:**_

Sorry for the delay but this was a really hard chapter to write! I want to give out a special "thank you" to JimmyRocket TheLegendaryAdonta and for their feedback and support.

In this chapter, the canine duo's journey meets some hinders in the form of an obstructing ravine blocking their path and Benji's malfunctioning muzzle. Read on to find out!

* * *

**- Chapter 9: TRANSPORT VEHICLES -**

_The black and white dog walked back over the fields, back towards the river, Bolt telling Benji of his life on the way. He told the Labrador everything, about Penny, about Mittens, about the truth and the lie and all the lonely nights he had spent in the trailer. Benji listened keenly. _

…

"Wait a minute here, that doesn't make any sense." It was the first Benji had interrupted Bolt's story to say anything else than an occasional "mhm" or "go on".

Bolt looked up. "What doesn't make any sense?" The white dog had just finished telling Benji about when the not-too flattering time Mittens was threating him with a piece of Styrofoam.

"You're telling me you managed to distract that cat, eerr… Mittens by saying there's a piano behind her?" Benji continued.

- "Yeah I know, it surprised me too that she'd fall for such a classic" Bolt smiled proudly.

- "No no, not that!" Benji shook his head again. "You just told me how you've spent your entire life like a four-legged Truman – yet you somehow know what a piano is?"

- "Well actually, I was three years old when Penny's dad genetically altered me."

Benji gave him a strange look.

… "I mean when the show started," Bolt corrected himself. "That's plenty of time to learn what a piano is… Wruuff!" His sentence was interrupted as suddenly, he felt nothing but air under his paws.

The hill they were working on had budged outward forming a cliff-edge which Bolt had walked right out of. The last thing Benji saw of the white dog was his body tumbling over the edge into the drop below, followed by a whine.

"BOLT!" Benji ran up to the ledge and looked over it. Below it, he saw Bolt holding on to a root with his teeth, the rest of his body dangling over the edge. Below him was what Benji estimated to be a hundred feet drop and at the end of it, the roaring river.

"Are you okay!?" Benji was hysterical.

"Ihjm fhine" Bolt mumbled with the root in his mouth.

"Don't let go, I'll pull you up!"

"Waschnt plannihn to" Bolt tried to smile around the root.

Benji hunkered down, bit down around Bolt's neck scruff and lifted up. The white shepherd was too heavy at first, weighing a good eighty pounds, but Bolt soon found grip with his paws and managed to heave himself over the edge.

"You've perfected the art of pulling me by my neck scruff". Bolt got up on his paws, grinned and wagged.

"Yeah well, you better get it into your fat head that you're not indestructible anymore before you end up seriously killing yourself!" Benji was practically hyperventilating. "After all the times I've saved you, you owe me three families at least."

"I … what?" Bolt just stared at Benji, utterly discombobulated.

"I'm sorry, I was just so worried" Benji moved towards the white shepherd, burying his face in Bolt's soft chest-fur, but Bolt pushed him away.

"Enough!" Bolt stamped the ground with his paw". One second you yell and insult me, the other you act like a helpless pup! What am I supposed to think!?"

Benji looked as if something inside of him just broke. _He knew Bolt was right._  
He lowered his head and scraped in the dirt with a paw. "You really have no idea, do you?..." he mumbled.

"No idea of what?" Bolt felt an exasperating mix of anger, confusion and empathy for the dog in front of him. _Are all other dogs this weird? _

- "Why I wanted to follow you to begin with"

- "So we can find your persons of course"

- "No, actually I … well…" Benji stopped himself, trying desperately to find the least catastrophic way to finish that sentence. He could feel his furry cheeks heating up but a voice inside of him told him to go on.

_Just tell him Benji. Just let him know…_

"The only reason I tagged along was because I wanted to be with … with…" Halfway through the sentence, his muzzle completely stopped working.

"With?" Bolt looked at Benji with a crooked eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter. Let's just find a way across this river". Benji quickly walked on, leaving a confused Bolt behind.

The two side-tracked the ravine for hours, walking in complete silence. After a while, they came to a bridge stretching over the river. Bolt remembered the large steel-structure from before when he had watched it carrying the transport vehicle away over the river. He looked down at the roaring water below. It made him feel a tad insecure.

"Don't worry, we're going over it this time, not through it", Benji said as if knowing what Bolt was thinking.

The white shepherd trotted in the direction of the bridge. Analyzing the steam beings which made out the huge structures skeleton, the former superdog concluded that the structure's integrity should allow for a safe pass over. He was just about to jump on to it when Benji stopped with a paw.

"This is not a normal bridge, like the one humans and dogs walk on. This is a train bridge, for trains to … train on. "

Bolt nodded compliantly.

"Which means that if we see a train coming, or a transport vehicle or whatever you called it, we kind of have to run", Benji continued.

- "I'm not stupid" Bolt rolled his eyes, then passed the Labrador walking towards the bridge.

He carefully placed a warily paw on the train tracks, then the other one. Bolt took his first step on the railroad. Then a second. Carefully stepping on the wooden beams, he began to make his way across, using his long bushy tail to balance.

Behind him, Benji followed on warily, shaky legs, trying not to look down, failing repeatedly. Each time he glanced down, it would send a shiver running through his body. He looked up at the white superdog in front of him who seemed to have no problem with neither the height nor the river below them. _ That crazy dog doesn't seem to be afraid of anything _, he thought. _Bolt was the one who nearly drowned before, yet he was the one with shaky legs_

Of course it wasn't as much the water below him as the height that scared him. _Just splashing into the water alone would probably break a few ribs. _He caught his eyes wondering downwards again, but stopped himself, instead focusing his gaze on the shepherd in front of him, and the hypnotic wagging of his brushy tail. It was actually a very pretty tail, he noted to himself.

He awoke from his trance by a loud woof. He saw Bolt staring back at him, his pupils small and eyes wide. "Incoming transport vehicle!"

That was when Benji heard the chugging sound of an approaching locomotive. Looking back, he saw the steel face of a train speeding towards them. It had already passed onto the bridge.

"It's too late to go back! RUN!"

The two dogs set off. Bolt jumped quickly from beam to beam. Behind him, Benji was running as fast as he could, occasionally tripping and losing speed. He could hear the chugging getting closer and closer. He could almost feel the heat of the steam against the fur on his back.

Meanwhile, Bolt had already made it onto the foot of the bridge. With an impressive leap, the agile dog jumped off the rails and landed on the side. Looking back at the bridge he saw that Benji was still running over the bridge, the loud and furious steel monster that was the train slowly catching up on him.

Benji was running for his life. He could see the foot of the bridge and Bolt staring at him. He would soon reach the end of the bridge.

"Don't worry Bolt! I'll be right th..." the rest of his sentence was caught off by a loud yelp as his left paw got stuck between two of the beams, causing him to fall over. He pulled desperately to free himself, only causing a shock of pain coming from his paw.

Without a moment of hesitation, Bolt leaped on the tracks, sprinting back towards the stuck Labrador. The train was almost half way over the bridge when he reached Benji. "It's stuck under the wooden beam" Benji barked.

Bolt wasted no time. Pulling with paws and teeth, he tried frantically to pull out Benji's stuck paw causing the Labrador to whine out in agony. He said something about going on alone, leaving him behind. Bolt would do no such thing. He could hear the train getting closer with each second.

Looking at the beam, he saw a crack in it. An idea came into the smart dog's mind. Using all the force his shepherd body could master, Bolt started to furiously stomp the bream with his paws.

"What are you doing!?" Benji shouted. "We'll fall!"

- "I got this!"

- "You better not be doing what I think you're doing!"

Bolt just continued stomping. He could hear the crackling noise of wood, and the train which was only a few feet away from the two dogs. Putting all his weight on one final push, Bolt finally managed to break the wood, causing the wide beam to crack under the paws. In one instance, Benji's paw strung free and the beam which they stood on broke into pieces and both of the dogs fell down.

They were falling so fast, Bolt's eyes were tearing up. Looking up, he saw the train pass over the rails just a second before falling through. The last thing he saw was Benji's horrified eyes before the two splashed through the surface.

The train jumped as it passed over the bridge, awaking the snoozing back cat. Mittens yawned and proceeded to stretching first her hindlegs, then her front legs, then lastly her clawless paws. After her obligatory morning stretch, she looked around the wooden car.

In a corner of the car, the hamster, no without a plastic ball, was slumbering, some miniature snoring escaping from his nose now and then. Rhino had two tendencies that Mittens found equally annoying; his huge hero complexes and his unyielding tendency to state the obvious.  
Another train would past by them. "Another train just passed by!" Rhino would say. Sometimes, it would start raining outside. "It's raining!" Rhino would declare. Mittens knew he was just trying to help. Besides, his childlike personality helped taking her mind off her worries – in a silly, distracting sort of way. Although she would never admit, the hamster was

Outside the car, she could see green tries and grey buildings blurring past. _They had passed river, hadn't they? They should arrive pretty soon. _

Beyond the river, she saw the hills and rocks of Missouri disappearing in the distance. She inhaled the fresh country air. A part of her hated it, a part of her that missed the air of New York; the smell of asphalt and exhaust pipes, the sound of traffic and sirens. Back when life was simple and everything was under her control. Then Bolt happened… Bolt dragged her across the country, her captor and kidnaper. And now he's lost. Had it happened only a few days ago, she might had felt free or at least relived, but right now, her insides were literally aching with worry. And something else. _Missing maybe?_ Mittens wasn't sure what she felt.

_It's funny how things change. Did she suffer from some kind of interspecies Stockholm's syndrome or something?_

Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Bolt lying in some ditch, or perhaps locked in at a dog pound or worse. But that's not all. Without his presence, she felt oddly empty, as if the dog had taken with him a big chunk of her soul.

She had followed him from state to state, city to city, waffle restaurant to waffle restaurant. It was enough just to look at him, her captor with pristine white fur, to know that she was right where she wanted to be; needed to be. The once so dominant and determined dog had completely opened up to her and she realized that really, _he_ was the victim. That he deserves a life of his choosing. So she gave that to him, helped him see the truth, shared with him the experience of discovering a whole new world filled with snow, car lights, rain, thunder, paper bags flying in the wind. Everyday things that she took for granted; it was all new and fascinating to him. She found it both strange and touching that he, after all he had been put through, could find the world so beautiful. To her, nothing in this world held any beauty. Except for one thing that she hopped was waiting for her at the end of the line.

But now there was no shepherd around, and she felt lost. Worst yet, she felt homeless. For a while, she had thought she was missing the familiar streets of New York, but she realized now that New York wasn't her home. Home was being with Bolt. That's why she needed to find him.  
She was awoken from her fantasies when the starting to vibrate. She looked out and saw the train slowing down, coming to a stop.

"We're stopping!" Rhino eagerly announced.

The two animals jumped out from the car and landed on the cold concrete of the train platform. Mittens looked around, but could see nothing but humans. Everywhere she looked, humans smiling, humans greeting and hugging, humans packing suitcases out of the wagons and carrying them around, but nowhere could she see any white shepherds.

"Maybe he's somewhere else. Maybe he went looking for us" Rhino said optimistically.

"I just hope he isn't lost. I don't want to have to interrogating any more pigeons to find him". Mittens had turned on her tough exterior, even though it felt like her heart was about to implode.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Rhino shook his little head. "Bolt can't get lost. He is all super and stuff!"

"He probably isn't here yet. That silly dog ran _after_ the train instead of being smart and just waiting for the next one like we did."  
- "Meaning?" Rhino looked up.

- "Meaning that even for a superdog like Bolt, that's a pretty long walk. We just have to wait a bit, you know. I promise, he'll be here soon". _At least so she hoped. _

Looking up, the cat's gaze followed the train tracks from which they came into the distance. Somewhere out there was Bolt, whether dead, lost or on his way here. _Please be alive_ she whispered to herself. _Please come here soon"._


End file.
